The Golden Mouse

We touched a little bit upon the differences between strategic internet plans for challengers and incumbents.

Incumbents have always had a distinct advantage, from name recognition to franking privileges. The internet and websites provide incumbents with huge advantages by way of generating data and opening meaningful lines of communication to constituents.

Official in nature, Congressional web sites are first and foremost informational, and they lack the onus on fundraising that is present on campaign sites. If managed correctly, however, an official site enables Members of Congress and Senators to gather email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and issues of interest for countless constituents.

The Congressional Management Foundation's Congress Online Project provides best practices for Congressional web sites. Every couple of years they come out with the "Golden Mouse" awards, presented to the best web sites in the House and Senate. This may be a good resource for anyone putting together a strategic plan for an incumbent.